Kenya is not just a massive prison of poor citizens. The poverty itself has become an enemy of development.

The Coronavirus crisis is
ravaging the world, and the government is pretending to be doing everything
possible to avert a major disaster that would see the Nation’s population wiped
out.

At Uhuru Park, the government
did manage to put up taps so that citizens can be able to wash their hands.
What the government did not remember is that in putting up these taps, they
were at the same time, creating an opportunity for poor citizens to earn money.

The idea was superb. The taps
were installed, and citizens were happy. But then, as soon as word went round
about the new development at the Park, the taps all vanished the following day.
Now, the concrete boxes at Uhuru Park have begun a new journey towards the city
of “white elephants.

Wasn’t there a way to fit in
the taps to make them vandal-proof? Who thinks for the government? In a country
where 75% of the youth are unemployed, almost anything with value is a target
of theft.

We do hope that the taps will
be repaired and that this time around, some measures will be taken by the
government to make the valves vandal-proof—good luck government in a Nation
where poverty rules supreme.